The report ‘Her Harvest: The Hidden Cost of Women’s Invisible Work in Indian Agriculture’ said women’s share of the agricultural workforce increased from 57 per cent in 2017-18 to more than 64 per cent in 2023-24.
However, nearly 47.7 per cent of women engaged in agriculture are recorded as unpaid helpers on family farms, compared with 20.2 per cent of men. The report attributed the growing participation of women partly to the migration of men to cities and non-farm employment.
The disparity is also reflected in land ownership and access to resources. Women operate just 11.72 per cent of the farmed area, despite accounting for more than 64 per cent of the agricultural workforce. Land ownership determines access to formal credit, extension services and procurement opportunities, the report said.
Productivity gap
Women farm workers earn about ₹82 for every ₹100 earned by men in agrifood work, according to the report. It cited an estimated 24 per cent productivity gap between women’s and men’s farms of the same size, attributing the difference to unequal access to credit and inputs rather than differences in ability.Applying the FAO’s estimated 2.5-4 per cent output loss associated with gender disparities to India’s agricultural GVA of ₹48.7 lakh crore, the report estimated that the country could be losing ₹1.2-2 lakh crore in agricultural output annually.
It also said equal access to resources could raise yields on women-run farms by 20-30 per cent, while overall agricultural output could increase by 2.5-4 per cent.
Breaking the exclusion cycle
The report identified a cycle in which women who are not formally recognised as farmers have limited access to institutional credit, inputs and storage, forcing them into distress sales and keeping their incomes low.It said warehouse receipts, farmer producer organisations (FPOs) and technology could help break this cycle. Warehouse-based finance can allow farmers to hold their produce and borrow against it, while FPOs can improve access to institutional finance and markets.
Technology, including soil sensors, price feeds, drones and farm advisories, can also reach women farmers without requiring changes to land records, the report said.
The report noted that 15,000 women-led self-help groups are being equipped with agricultural drones, with trained operators potentially earning ₹60,000-80,000 a month.
Arya.ag said more than 50,000 women are directly engaged on its platform, while women-led FPOs on the platform have grown 128 per cent in two years. Its AryaShakti initiative, in partnership with Friends of Women’s World Banking, supports women-led FPOs across 10,000 farming households.
4-point agenda
The report called for recognising women as farmers irrespective of whose name appears on land records, expanding access to collateral-light credit and warehouse-receipt finance, increasing access to drones and agricultural advisories, and building women-led FPOs as permanent market institutions.It noted that 2026 has been declared the International Year of the Woman Farmer and said the year provides an opportunity to address gaps in recognition, finance, technology and market access.
Published on September 10, 2026